148 SEAL CYLINDERS OF WESTERN ASIA. 
the mother to bring forth the child. A birth-plant is not exceptional: compare 
squaw-berry and squaw-weed, names of American plants. It would seem that he 
was to go to the mountains for it. It is possible that in fig. 395 we have this plant, 
or tree, with the eagle in its branches. But this is by no means clear, and the pres- 
ence of the small animal by the side of the eagle in the tree casts doubt upon it, 
as it does upon the supposition that we have here the representation of another 
event in the Etana story, where the eagle in the tree was ready to pounce on the 
nest of the serpent protected by Shamash. Then came the chief incident in his 
career, when on the wings of the eagle he was carried up to the heaven of Anu, 
Enlil, and Ea, until the earth and the oceans below him looked small as a little 
garden surrounded by its ditch. Said the eagle to Etana: 
My friend, lift up [thy countenance]. 
Come and let me carry thee to the heaven of [Anu] ; 
On my breast place thy breast ; 
On my pinions place thy palms ; 
On my side place thy side. 
Thus they ascended to the lower heaven of this ancient triad of gods; and then 
the eagle tempted him to ascend still higher to the heaven of the Sun, Shamash; 
the Moon, Sin; and Venus, or Ishtar; two of whom are represented on these seals. 
But on the way he was frightened and the strength of the eagle failed, and they 
fell to earth. ‘That the eagle was killed is not likely, for we know that later he was 
caught and captured by the serpent in punishment for eating the serpent’s young. 
Etana we hear of later as inhabiting the lower world, but whether he was killed 
by his fall is not clear. We may with some confidence presume that the designs 
on the cylinders we have been considering add something to the story of Etana as 
told in the texts thus far found. 
There may be some elements of these designs in fig. 361. 
